Author: Chakhmakhchian Vatche

THREE ARMENIAN OPPOSITION PARTIES DEMAND FROM ARMENIAN AND
GEORGIAN AUTHORITIES TO TAKE URGENT MEASURES ON SOLVING PROBLEMS
ACTUAL FOR ARMENIAN COMMUNITY OF GEORGIA
YEREVAN, MARCH 16. ARMINFO. Three Armenian opposition parties –
“Ramkavar Azatakan”, “Mighty Fatherland” and “Liberal-Democratic
Union” call upon to the Armenian and Georgian authorities to take
urgent measures on solving problems actual for the Armenian community
of Georgia, says a statement of these parties received today by
ARMINFO.
The statement notes that no problems should be in solving of the
problems taking into consideration the upcoming Armenian-Georgian
inter-state cooperation and centuries-old neighborly relation of the
two countries. Authors of statement note that the Churches of the two
countries may play a significant part in this matter. The parties
consider that demands of the Armenian community of Georgia,
particularly, of Samtskhe-Javakhq region, are quite fair taking into
account the resent events in Georgia and the hard social and economic
condition of the Armenian community. -r-

South China Morning Post
March 16, 2005
Old lady’s secret puts Armenian massacre in focus
Nicholas Birch in Istanbul
Fethiye Cetin was a student when she discovered her grandmother’s
secret. Until then, she’d always known the woman who brought her up
as Seher, the pillar of what seemed a typical Anatolian family.
The bombshell came while the two were talking one day in Ankara.
Seher’s real name was Heranush, and she was Armenian. Nine years old
when the little-known massacre of Armenians started in 1915, she had
cowered in a churchyard as the village men were murdered and thrown
in the river. Forced with the women and children onto the road to
Syria, she was abducted and handed over to a police corporal who
brought her up as his own child.
Such tales are common in Turkey’s eastern provinces. What makes
Heranush’s story unusual is that her granddaughter decided to turn it
into a book.
“She had hidden the things she told me for over 60 years,” explains
Ms Cetin, now a lawyer based in Istanbul. “I felt they needed to be
given a voice.”
But Ms Cetin also wanted to help move the debate away from barren
disputes over statistics and terminology: 300,000 killed? No, 1
million. Genocide? No, ethnic cleansing.
Such arguments, she says, “hide the lives and deaths of individuals
and do nothing to encourage people to listen”.
Turks have certainly been listening to her. Published last November,
My Grandmother is already in its fifth edition.
Ms Cetin attributes the success to the growing impatience Turks feel
for the official discourses on Turkish identity that have
traditionally held sway in the country.
“When books like this come out, even people with very different
family histories begin to realise they aren’t the only ones to
question what they have been taught,” she says.
And nowhere is this more evident than on the Armenian issue. Five
years ago, the taboo was almost total. An account of Seher’s life,
published in an Istanbul-based Armenian newspaper in 2000, was
ignored. Now, there are Armenian cookery books and novels.
In January, an Istanbul gallery hit the headlines with an exhibition
of 500 postcards showing Turkish Armenians between 1900 and 1914.
Much of the credit for breaking the silence must go to historian
Halil Berktay, who in October 2000 became the first intellectual in
Turkey publicly to describe the events of 1915 as genocide. Today, he
is convinced the space for intelligent debate on the past is growing
rapidly.
“Beneath the bluster,” he says, referring to a recent hate campaign
against novelist Orhan Pamuk, “the Turkish establishment position is
crumbling.” He notes that unlike its nationalist predecessor, the
country’s present government has refrained from statements of denial
about Turkey’s actions in 1915.
At different stages in the past half century, Turkish diplomats were
instructed either to leave international conferences when genocide
was mentioned in connection with Armenia, to describe the
deportations as a necessary measure against Armenian treachery or to
argue that the debate should be left to historians.
Last week, senior politicians from Turkey’s main parties called for
the events of 1915 to be “researched under United Nations
arbitration. If there is a need to settle accounts with history, we
are ready”, they said.

PanArmenian News
March 14 2005
ARMENIAN DEFENSE MINISTER MET WITH LEBANON’S AMBASSADOR TO RA
14.03.2005 07:42
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian Defense Minister Serge Sargsian met with
Lebanon’s Ambassador to Armenia Zhebrail Butros Zhaar, RA Defense
Ministry press service reports. The Minister condoled on the
assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Al-Hariri. `We
have experienced the consequences of terrorism and perceive the
gravity of your loss. I am convinced that the life of the people will
return to the course of nature’, Serge Sargsian noted. The Lebanese
diplomat thanked the Armenian Minister for the condolences expressed
and noted that the Armenian people lost a big friend in the person of
Rafik Al-Hariri. When commenting on the situation in Lebanon Zhebrail
Butros Zhaar asked Serge Sargsian to discuss the issue of sending a
group of combat engineers to Lebanon. The parties also considered the
issues of regional security.

POSITION OF OSCE MG IN SETTLEMENT OF KARABAKH CONFLICT DOES
NOT MEET INTERESTS OF AZERBAIJAN: CO-CHAIRMAN OF AZERBAIJANI SOCIAL
DEMOCRATIC PARTY
BAKU, MARCH 11. ARMINFO. The position of OSCE Minsk Group in
settlement of Karabakh conflict does not meet the interests of
Azerbaijan, Co-Chairman of the Azerbaijani Social Democratic Party
(SDPA) Araz Alizade says in his interview to Day.Az.
In his words, OSCE admits that none of the mediators can solve the
Karabakh issue, which is the most vulnerable for Azerbaijani people.
Unfortunately, there is no progress in the settlement process, SDPA
co-chair states calling the authorities of that country to refuse
from mediation of OSCE from now and on. “The most acceptable version
is return of the mediation mission to the UN. I have always been
against raising the Karabakh issue to the international level. It is
our own issue and we must solve it without international mediators,”
Alizade says. He is indignant at the fact that USA allocates material
assistance of 10 million USD to Azerbaijan and Armenia and to Nagorny
Karabakh without taking into account the interests of Azerbaijan.
“Why does Azerbaijan give its oil to the USA which does not take into
account our opinion? It turns out that we are secondary people whose
interests do not concern the USA, meanwhile, Armenia does not allow
such attitude to itself,” Araz Alizade says.

Miss Germany is Miss Europe 2005
Agence France Presse — English
March 12, 2005 Saturday 11:38 PM GMT
PARIS March 13 — Dark-haired Miss Germany, Shahrivar Shermine,
a 22-year-old of Iranian origin won the title of Miss Europe 2005
late Saturday in Paris.
The 1.74 metre (5ft 10 inch) beauty queen, who has just finished her
university studies, speaks German, Farsi, English and French. Her
hobbies are horse-riding and swimming.
Among the judges of the contest, beamed live to more than 50 countries,
were singer Charles Aznavour and couturier Paco Rabanne.
The other finalists were Miss Armenia, Miss France, Miss Slovakia
and Miss England.

Tbilisi Denies Visa to Transcaucasia Troops Commander
by 
Russian Article as of Mar. 11, 2005
New Commander of Russiaâ~@~Ys Troops in Transcaucasia, Major General
Alexander Bespalov has been denied an entry visa to Georgia and is
unable to arrive in Tbilisi, notwithstanding that the RF Ministry of
Foreign Affairs notified in advance the Georgian Foreign Ministry
about forthcoming change in the troopsâ~@~Y commander.
Major General Bespalov has replaced Lieutenant General Alexander
Studenikin, who was appointed to command the 2nd Guards All-Arms Army
(Samara). Bespalov, who arrived from Moscow after finishing the
General Staffâ~@~Ys Military Academy, had to take over the office not
in the staff of the Transcaucasiaâ~@~Ys troops in Tbilisi, but in the
territory of the 102nd Russiaâ~@~Ys military base in Gyumri, Armenia.
According to Vladimir Kuparadze, Deputy Commander of the
Transcaucasiaâ~@~Ys troops, Georgia has given no reasons for
visaâ~@~Ys denial to Bespalov.
–Boundary_(ID_tFAMU1Aj97E1c+7UB6jSaA)–

Exchange of Fire on Front Line Becomes Regular
Baku Today
11/03/2005 10:31
Today at 8.55 a.m. Armenian army’s subdivisions fired Azeri
army’s positions in Gapanly village, Terter region on northeast of
Karabakh. Fire has been opened from Seysulan village in the same
region earlier occupied by Armenians.
Azerbaijan Defense Ministry press office reports that yesterday
Armenians violated cease-fire three times. On March 9 at 11.10
a.m. Gapanly village has been fired from the same positions.
On the same day from 12.20 to 12.30 p.m. Armenian forces fired Azeri
army’s positions in Gyzyl Hajyly village, Gazakh region. Fire has
been opened from Berkaber village, Armenian Ijevan region.
>>From 1.45 to 2.00 p.m. Armenians were firing Azeri positions
from occupied villages Shikhlar and Bag Garvend, Aghdam region,
using firearms.
In all cases the Azeri side opened a return fire, casualties are not
reported by Azeri Defense Ministry.

Armenian Eparchy accuses Georgian clergymen of destroying cross stones
Azg web site, Yerevan
10 Mar 05
Excerpt from Tatul Akopyan’s report by Armenian newspaper Azg web site
on 10 March headlined “`Georgian clergymen are engaged in destruction
of Armenian historical monuments’. Khachkars of 14 century were
destroyed in Kakheti’s Gremi monasterial compound”
The Georgian Eparchy of the Armenian Apostolic Church on Tuesday
[8 March] reported that the Armenian khachkars [cross stones] at
the Gremi monasterial compound in Kakheti [province of Georgia]
had been destroyed.
“The Georgian clergymen do not hide that the Armenian church will be
consecrated in conformity with the Georgian canons. Unfortunately,
many Georgian priests mistakenly mix up extreme nationalism and
vandalism with patriotism,” the report said. [Passage omitted:
Gremi’s background]
“Currently, the monasterial compound in Gremi is closed for the
visitors. It is being `restored`. The Georgian monastery is inside
the compound. Representatives of the clergy are engaged in beekeeping
and the destruction of monuments of the Armenian cultural heritage.
Unfortunately, by destroying Armenian monuments, those `patriots’
are not realizing that they are eradicating part of their history,
and, moreover, are destroying all-Christian values, which are above
the national interests,” the report said.
The Georgian Eparchy of the Armenian Apostolic Church asks: how can one
classify the above acts other than vandalism? When will this ordeal,
which has been going on in Georgia for 10 years, be ended?

LEADER OF PARTY HUMAN RIGHTS – DEMOCRACY ACCUSES HEAD OF WORLD
ARMENIAN CONGRESS OF VIOLATION OF ARMENIAN LEGISLATION
YEREVAN, MARCH 9. ARMINFO. Leader of the party Human Rights –
Democracy, Head of the public organization “Deputy Club ‘Supreme
Council'” Ruben Torosyan accuses Head of World Armenian Congress Ara
Abrahamyan of violation of the Armenian legislation.
The party’s statement addressed to Head of the State Taxation Service
of Armenia Felix Tsolakyan received by ARMINFO today says that in
conformity with recent publications in a number of native Mass Media,
Ara Abrahamyan made donations to the political parties RAPA and ARFD.
However, the statement says that the RA Law on Parties bans donations
from foreign citizens and legal entities to political parties of
Armenia. The same law stipulates that if such cases are registered,
the donations are subject to return to the donator within two weeks.
“Please, informs us of the measures taken to liquidate the consequences
of the above violation of the RA Law on Parties,” says the message
of the party “Human Rights-Democracy.”

Georgian paper comments on premier’s visit to Baku
24 Saati, Tbilisi
5 Mar 05
Text of report by Georgian newspaper 24 Saati on 5 March “Georgian PM
Obtains Guarantees in Baku as Karabakh War ‘Increasingly Inevitable'”
by Malkhaz Lanchava: “Prime Minister’s First Battle”
Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Noghaideli has paid a one-day working
visit to Baku. Both Tbilisi and Baku were anticipating this visit
with interest. It is well known that, at the end of last year, the
Azerbaijani government took a none too friendly step and detained
Georgian carriages on its territory. The allegation that those
carriages were en route to Armenia was used as an excuse.
There is no doubt that in the past the Azerbaijani, Georgian, and
Armenian mafia structures had indeed used the following scheme:
With Russia’s support, the alleged transit cargo from this country
[Russia] (and from fraternal Central Asia countries) was in fact sent
to Armenia.
This could not have happened without the tacit consent of Moscow,
Asgabat, Tashkent, and Astana, but it is also clear that Azerbaijani
clans profited considerably from this business. The Armenians were
silently smiling when they said that one should not think that they
were in isolation because, aside from the well-known routes, there
were other routes to break through Azerbaijan’s blockade, that is to
say, the territory of Azerbaijan itself.
Obviously, Baku could not have tolerated this for long, especially
because the Azerbaijani special services had complete information
about the true destination of the cargo not only from Georgia but
from Armenia itself. Azerbaijan, however, chose a very strange
way of resolving the problem: It did not detain the cargo on the
Russian-Azerbaijani border or at Caspian ports; for some reason it
only happened on the Georgian border. Considering us “easy prey”,
it decided to avoid border scandals with the other countries.
However, according to our information, Zurab Noghaideli said in quite
a harsh tone during negotiations in Baku, including during a meeting
with the president, that Georgia will no longer tolerate harm done
to the Georgian business.
The fact that something was indeed on its way to Armenia does not mean
that anyone can detain the cargo that belongs to Georgia. Once again,
it has to be noted that the Georgian role in the entire saga was
naturally quite significant and it has to be added that the corrupt
legacy of the past era would keep coming back many times.
Nonetheless, there is also no doubt that it was not by chance that
Azerbaijan took such a radical step. Both in Yerevan and Moscow, they
talk about [Azerbaijani President] Ilham Aliyev preparing for war.
Many observers even believe that the decisive battle for Nagornyy
Karabakh is absolutely inevitable. In this situation, Azerbaijan is
trying to ensure the economic blockade of Armenia.
Zurab Noghaideli let the hosts know that Georgia holds a traditionally
neutral position on the Karabakh war but will not allow any
unilateral Azerbaijni actions against the Georgian transit. Given
the aforementioned, Zurab Noghaideli’s visit becomes even more
significant. The prime minister received guarantees not only from
the government but also from President Ilham Aliyev that Azerbaijan
will be content itself with the exchange of information, will cease
unilateral actions, and respect Georgia’s right to distance itself
from both warring sides in the new phase of the war for Karabakh,
which, unfortunately, is becoming increasingly inevitable.
No one mentioned the word “war” in Baku. Of course, there was no
talk about Armenia during those negotiations either but the context
itself defined things quite objectively despite declarations and
statements for the press. The Georgian prime minister expressed
concern only about the Georgian issue and this is how it should be
in a normal situation. Thus, Noghaideli’s mission to Baku was much
more important than just the issue of freeing several trains or even
restoring the transit.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress